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Gerald Peter Buchek
St. Louis Cardinals
Shortstop
Born: May 9, 1942, St. Louis, MO
Signed: Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1961, 1963-1966; New York Mets 1967-1968
Died: January 2, 2019, Springfield, MO (age 76)
Jerry Buchek was a steady back-up infielder for parts of seven seasons in the majors. With the Cardinals in the mid-1960s, he occasionally spelled regular shortstop Dick Groat (#275) or second baseman Julian Javier (#447) and was often a late-inning defensive replacement. Buchek entered four games of the 1964 World Series in the later innings and singled off Jim Bouton (#30) in his sole plate appearance in Game 6. The Cardinals would defeat the Yankees in seven games. Traded to the Mets right before the start of the 1967 season, Buchek finally got the chance to be an everyday player. He was the opening day second baseman for the Mets, ultimately starting 92 games at second base, 14 games at third base and five games at shortstop.
Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #511
This is the 27th of 102 cards acquired for our set from the Baseball Card Sports Memorabilia Show, affectionately known as The Philly Show, held in the basement of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia in early March. We went nuts and left the show needing only 12 more cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, and I wrote about the show in detail over at The Phillies Room. Having wandered aimlessly among the dealer tables looking for binders with vintage commons, I decided to check to see if Uncle Dick's had refreshed their inventory following the December show, during which I had wiped out both their 1965 Topps binders. Much to my pleasant surprise, they had. This Buchek card was $4 and was one of 49 commons purchased in my triumphant return to Uncle Dick's and his replenished neon green binders.
Depending on my ability to compose five posts a week on the cards acquired at this show, I should be completely caught up on this blog by mid-October. It's entirely feasible we complete our 1965 Topps set by the end of 2022, although nine of the remaining 12 cards needed are fairly expensive.
The Card / Cardinals Team Set
Buchek wore #11 during his best years with the Cardinals, and the number is peaking through on the front of his jersey here. His American Legion and minor league exploits are highlighted on the back of the card, as there's only so much to be said about a steady defending back-up infielder.
1965 Season
Buchek spent the entire season with the reigning World Champions, appearing in 55 games and batting .247. He made a total of 47 starts in the field, backing up Javier at second with 31 starts and Groat at shortstop with 16 starts.
Phillies Connection
The Mets had dealt Buchek back to the Cardinals organization in December 1968, and on April 3, 1969, the Cardinals traded him with Jim Hutto to the Phillies for Bill White (#190). White would play his final season with the Cardinals as a pinch-hitter and back-up first baseman, while Hutto would appear in 57 games for the Phillies in 1970, batting .185 overall. Buchek never received a promotion to Philadelphia. In 127 games for the Emeralds, he batted .246 with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs. His home run tally led the team, and he was second on the club in RBIs behind Bill Schlesinger's (#573) 67. Following the season, the Phillies refused to grant Buchek his release so that he could sign with the Braves, and rather than spend another season in the minors, Buchek retired.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #439
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1962, 1964-1968
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2017 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-JBU
20 - Buchek non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/8/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
The Mets had dealt Buchek back to the Cardinals organization in December 1968, and on April 3, 1969, the Cardinals traded him with Jim Hutto to the Phillies for Bill White (#190). White would play his final season with the Cardinals as a pinch-hitter and back-up first baseman, while Hutto would appear in 57 games for the Phillies in 1970, batting .185 overall. Buchek never received a promotion to Philadelphia. In 127 games for the Emeralds, he batted .246 with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs. His home run tally led the team, and he was second on the club in RBIs behind Bill Schlesinger's (#573) 67. Following the season, the Phillies refused to grant Buchek his release so that he could sign with the Braves, and rather than spend another season in the minors, Buchek retired.
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #439
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1962, 1964-1968
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2017 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-JBU
20 - Buchek non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/8/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
With all the youngsters in the Phillies' infield back then (Doyle, Bowa, Money), you would think that a veteran like Buchek would have been a better option for the Phillies than Terry Harmon (a rookie in '69).
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